Bojemilne8639

This work describes the reuteransucrase-catalyzed reaction and structural characterization as well as in vitro fermentation for the acceptor products of gluco-oligomers from sucrose and maltose. At a low concentration of sucrose, the production of gluco-oligomers was favored, resulting in a relatively large number of acceptor products (DP3-5). A mathematical model was also proposed to simulate gluco-oligomer production depending on the reaction conditions. The fine structures of major linear gluco-oligomer fractions for a sucrose  maltose ratio of 1  1 were assigned as follows α-d-Glcp-(1→6)-α-d-Glcp-(1→4)-d-Glcp, α-d-Glcp-(1→4)-α-d-Glcp-(1→4)-α-d-Glcp-(1→4)-d-Glcp, α-d-Glcp-(1→4)-α-d-Glcp-(1→6)-α-d-Glcp-(1→4)-d-Glcp, and α-d-Glcp-(1→6)-α-d-Glcp-(1→4)-α-d-Glcp-(1→6)-α-d-Glcp-(1→4)-d-Glcp, respectively. Compared with dextran and GOS57, the results of fermentation selectivity indicated that gluco-oligomers promoted the proliferation of gut bacteria and total SCFA production with a higher concentration of propionate. These data suggested that the gluco-oligomers synthesized via the reuteransucrase acceptor reaction had a prebiotic effect on gastrointestinal health.Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells capable of either activating the immune response or inducing and maintaining immune tolerance. Understanding how biophysical properties affect DC behaviors will provide insight into the biology of a DC and its applications. In this work, we studied how cell culture dimensionality (two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D)), and matrix density of 3D collagen matrices modulate differentiation and functions of DCs. Besides, we aimed to point out the different conceptual perspectives in modern immunological research, namely tissue-centric and cell-centric perspectives. The tissue-centric perspective intends to reveal how specific microenvironments dictate DC differentiation and in turn modulate DC functionalities, while the cell-centric perspective aims to demonstrate how pre-differentiated DCs behave in specific microenvironments. DC plasticity was characterized in terms of cell surface markers and cytokine secretion profiles. Subsequently, antigen internasecretion profiles towards Th1 and Th17, respectively. In sum, our work emphasizes the importance of dimensionality, as well as collagen fibrillar density in the regulation of the immune response of DCs. Besides this, we demonstrated that the conceptual perspective of the experimental design could be an essential key point in research in immune cell-material interactions and biomaterial-based disease models of immunity.The fruits of Gaultheria procumbens are traditionally used for culinary and healing purposes as anti-inflammatory agents. In the present work, the active components of the fruits were identified (UHPLC-PDA-ESI-MS3, preparative HPLC isolation, and NMR structural studies), and their biological capacity was evaluated in vitro in cell-based and non-cellular models. GSK1120212 nmr The fruits were revealed to be the richest known dietary source of salicylates (38.5 mg per g fruit dw). They are also rich in procyanidins (28.5 mg per g fruit dw). Among five tested solvents, acetone was the most efficient in concentrating the phenolic matrix (39 identified compounds; 191.3 mg g-1, 121.7 mg g-1, and 50.9 mg g-1 dry extract for total phenolics, salicylates, and procyanidins, respectively). In comparison to positive controls (dexamethasone, indomethacin, and quercetin), the extract (AE) and pure salicylates exhibited strong inhibitory activity towards pro-inflammatory enzymes (cyclooxygenase-2 and hyaluronidase). The analytes were found to be non-cytotoxic (flow cytometry) towards human neutrophils ex vivo. Moreover, they significantly, in a dose-dependent manner, downregulated the release of ROS, TNF-α, IL-1β, and elastase-2 and slightly inhibited the secretion of IL-8 and metalloproteinase-9 in the cells. The observed effects might support the usage of G. procumbens fruits as functional components of an anti-inflammatory diet and indicate the potential of AE for use in adjuvant treatment of inflammatory disorders cross-linked with oxidative stress and associated with the excessive production of TNF-α, IL-1β, and elastase-2.The optical responses of molecules and materials provide a basis for chemical measurement and imaging. The optical diffraction limit in conventional light microscopy is exceeded by mechanically probing optical absorption through the photothermal effect with atomic force microscopy (AFM). However, the spatial resolution of AFM-based photothermal optical microscopy is still limited, and the sample surface is prone to damage from scratching due to tip contact, particularly for measurements on soft matter. In this article, we develop peak force visible (PF-vis) microscopy for the measurement of visible optical absorption of soft matter. The spatial resolution of PF-vis microscopy is demonstrated to be 3 nm on green fluorescent protein-labeled virus-like particles, and the imaging sensitivity may approach a single protein molecule. On organic photovoltaic polymers, the spatial distribution of the optical absorption probed by PF-vis microscopy is found to be dependent on the diffusion ranges of excitons in the donor domain. Through finite element modeling and data analysis, the exciton diffusion range of organic photovoltaics can be directly extracted from PF-vis images, saving the need for complex and delicate sample preparations. PF-vis microscopy will enable high-resolution nano-imaging based on light absorption of fluorophores and chromophores, as well as deciphering the correlation between the spatial distribution of photothermal signals and underlying photophysical parameters at the tens of nanometer scale.In this work, we synthesize a polydisperse aqueous colloidal system composed of small and large zwitterionic particles, as well as medium sized standard acrylic particles. By assembling these dispersions into films by drying, we show using atomic force microscopy (AFM) how their top surfaces can be mostly covered by zwitterionic groups for a wide range of evaporation rates. We probe underneath the top film surface using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy - attenuated total reflection (ATR), observing that the content in zwitterionic particles of the film upper layer increases for faster evaporation rates. We show how polydisperse systems hold great potential to overcome the evaporation rate dependence of size segregation processes in drying colloidal blends, and we provide further insights into the assembly mechanisms involved. Polydisperse blends enhance the robustness of such processes for application in coatings and other soft products where evaporation rate can not be tuned.